by Matthew Glavin

SLF President

"Today, four Atlanta area citizens have sought redress for violations of their civil rights in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), a public interest law firm which represents clients engaged in constitutional litigation, will represent these plaintiffs at no cost to them. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality and statutory legality of the City of Atlanta’s Minority and Female Business Enterprise (MFBE) program, which sets aside 34 percent of public contracts for minority- and female-owned businesses. The plaintiffs are metro Atlanta contractors who have been harmed by the city’s unlawful and unconstitutional program of racial discrimination. As such, they deserve a fair hearing in court, in order that their claims under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution can receive full consideration.

"Seventy-three days ago, SLF delivered a letter to officials of the Atlanta city government outlining the current status of the law regarding government-sponsored race preference programs for public contracting. We expressed our opinion that, based on the law, Atlanta’s program is illegal and unconstitutional. We therefore requested that the city voluntarily dismantle its race preference program for public contracting in the interest of judicial economy. Our letter further requested that the city utilize the following weeks to develop a legal, race-neutral affirmative action program for Atlanta. SLF published a Special Report on Race-Neutral Alternatives, which outlined legal affirmative action programs used by cities across the nation, to assist city officials with their hoped-for effort.

"We thank the concerned Atlanta business community for their efforts in communicating with the parties in this matter and encouraging a legal resolution. We encourage them to continue their noble efforts, and we reiterate SLF’s offer to assist the city in developing a legal affirmative action program. We believe it is our duty, as American citizens, Atlanta neighbors, and litigants in the U.S. District Court, to seek a swift and just resolution."

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